In 2012, UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks led the Pac-12 with 10.6 tackles per game. In 2013, he finished third with 8.8 per game.

But he’s never been named to the all-conference first or second teams and has settled for honorable mention honors both years.

A bit ignored, perhaps — particularly when he shared the side of the line with the eventual ninth overall pick in the NFL draft and a freshman who turned heads all over the country with his two-way play.

“Absolutely,” head coach Jim Mora said when asked if Kendricks had been overshadowed. “Anthony Barr is the reason for that, obviously. That’s understandable. Myles (Jack too). But it’s his time now.”

Mora is one of the more defensive-minded coaches in a conference responsible for a fifth of the country’s top-20 scoring offenses. Quarterback Brett Hundley stands to get more headlines, but it’s Kendricks who may be especially key on the other side of the line.

On the field, Mora praised Kendricks’ tenacity and called him the defense’s “glue guy.” As for intangibles, Mora admitted the senior is quieter than most, but that reticence only adds more punch when he does decide to speak up.

Anything else?

“He’s a sweetheart,” Mora continued. “That sounds really silly, calling one of my players a sweetheart. Like if my daughter dated him and married him, I’d be fine with that. And he has nice hair.”

But back to football. UCLA lost defensive coordinator Lou Spanos to the Tennessee Titans in January and promoted linebackers coach Jeff Ulbrich, once a gritty middle linebacker who spent his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Ulbrich’s biggest change has been making the Bruins’ 3-4 base more flexible and frequently installing nickel formations to utilize the team’s suddenly deep secondary. But his own playing experience gives him a wealth of knowledge that would be difficult to replicate otherwise.

“There are little tricks that you don’t understand unless you’ve played the position,” Mora said. “Little things that you have to learn. Jeff wasn’t the most talented guy in the world, but he developed and created this toolbox of tricks that helped him survive and flourish for 10 years in the league.”

That advantage times itself nicely with Kendricks’ own development. The 6-foot, 230-pound Fresno native spent parts of last season playing through a sore ankle, a bruised back and various other aches and pains inherent to his sport. Kendricks, asked to think of the last time he felt fully healthy in 2013, struggled for an answer.

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“As close to it — I don’t know,” he said. “I sound like I’m complaining right now about my injuries last season, but there’s tons of people who played with injuries last season. Not just me.”

He missed two full games, including UCLA’s 42-12 win over Virginia Tech in the Sun Bowl, and was held out of contact in spring following ankle surgery. The silver lining of operating at less than 100 percent health? He had to find other ways to compensate.

“At first, I was relying on my athletic ability,” Kendricks said. “But now, I can get to spots faster than I would ever anticipate before just by looking at the formation before the play. I know where it’s going to lead to. Things like this is what the development of football’s all about, and that’s what coach Ulbrich is helping with.

“As far as a leadership standpoint, I do feel a bigger burden. I have to embrace the leadership role, but I’m going to lead these guys as best as I can.”